Foam of the Sea
by Myth720
Summary: Like mermaids that cease to exist and become the foam of the sea, Haruka's life as a swimmer had come to a sudden end. Returning to Iwatobi is not going to be easy without Makoto by his side. MakoHaru BL. (Main story takes place 10 years in the future)
1. Chapter 1

Just some idea that's been bugging me, I think about continuing it, so this is chapter 1. If I continue the rating will go higher. However, I will not be posting rated material on this site, I will only post the "censored" version. You'll be able to find the full version along with my other rated stories on AO3 (same pen name). Well, hope you like this story ^^

*Japanese note: -senshuu is the honorific suffix given to athletes.

* * *

**Foam of the Sea**

There was nothing outstanding or remarkable about the little seaside town of Iwatobi. Like many small towns in the obscure parts of Japan outside of the major cities, it used to be a tiny fishing village. It was so obscure it was left near untouched by wars, and so normal, it was undisturbed by any major natural disaster. With the years and economical changes, it grew and absorbed neighboring villages, but most youth still dreamed of exchanging the slow paced, quiet town life for the excitement the big city had to offer. However boring and mundane it may have been, the town of Iwatobi had prided itself for producing not one, but two internationally recognized Olympic swimmers, and one gold medalist.

There was a story the people of Iwatobi liked to tell, and it had made the rounds to the press at the time, the story about the summer of 2013, when the newly created swimming club of Iwatobi high-school made it to the regional summer tournament, won first place and disqualified for switching a member with a member from another school – a childhood friend. It was a sweet display of friendship and loyalty to dreams, they liked to say. It wasn't looked upon that favorably at the time, but that switched member and the ace of the team being who they were today, the negativity and backlash were gone and forgotten. The two swimmers had become local celebrities overnight following their performance in Rio 2016, but it wasn't until Tokyo 2020 when they had reached national awareness that the small town had begun idolizing them to the point it was near impossible to find a street in Iwatobi that did not try to affiliate itself with the two, and a line of "pilgrims" taking the recommended route to the favorite hangout places of the two heroes and childhood friends.

And then one incident had changed it all.

* * *

"Thanks for coming to see me, Rin." Haruka tugged on the bill of his cap. "I know you're busy."

Rin huffed and sat down in front of Haruka. They were at a small, but expensive coffee shop downtown a busy Tokyo district.

"That's an understatement," the red-headed returned the gestured with his own cap and took off his sunglasses, putting them on the table. "You must be too."

"Yeah."

At a nearby table, two young women were gushing over their cheesecake, when one of them raised her eyes and spotted the two suspiciously dressed young men at the other table.

"Ne, ne," she told her friend. "Those guys with the hats over there, they gotta be famous, right?"

Her friend turned around to have a look. "That guy sure looks familiar," her friend hummed. "I'm sure I've seen those strange teeth before."

"They look like shark teeth…" the first girl commented and chuckled.

"Yeah," the friend agreed, then her face changed. "AH! That's gotta be _that_ guy! Quick, quick, take a picture!"

* * *

Haruka and Rin walked outside the café, shoulders brushing against each other. None of them spoke. There were a lot of people running around the busy street, no one giving them a moment glance. Tokyo was immensely different than the little town they had both hailed from. It allowed them to live their lives in anonymity.

"I missed you," Haruka said quietly, but loud enough to be heard in the din of the street. "You need to come over more often."

"Are you being emotional now, Haru?" Rin grinned and slapped Haruka's cap playfully, crooking it.

Haruka frowned and fixed it. "You're one to ta—"

Rin drew him into his arms, hugging him tightly. "I missed you too, Haru."

Feeling a little awkward at the sudden intrusion into his personal space, it took Haruka a moment to react and put his arms around Rin. "As I was saying," he said into Rin's ear.

Rin let go of him slightly and looked down, his forehead nearly touching Haruka's. "I have to go. Got a flight to catch."

* * *

Haruka unlocked the door to his apartment and stepped inside, taking his shoes off at the entrance. "I'm back," he said out of habit to an empty apartment.

His stomach was still full of coffee and cake, but he had fresh mackerel he bought that morning in the fridge, and it would be a terrible waste if he didn't grill it right away. For mackerel, he didn't need to be hungry.

The phone started ringing while he was busy grilling the fish, so he ignored it. As usual, if it were important, they would try to reach him again. Haruka smiled to himself as he watched the chunks of meat sizzle on the griller. He was in a good mood. It was nice to see Rin after so long.

After turning the gas off and taking another sniff of the grilled fish, he decided he was hungry after all. The phone was still ringing, and he huffed in annoyance. He didn't recognize the caller ID and pulled out the plug. Anyone who really needed him, knew how to reach him on his mobile phone. And because he hated talking on the phone, it was permanently set to manners mode. That wasn't entirely true – it was a custom mode he named Makoto mode - his phone only rung when Makoto was calling, and he liked the arrangement, much to the chagrin of his coaches and other people who regularly tried to reach him, and whom he filtered based on his mood.

Once he had finished eating and put the dishes in the washer. He walked to the living room and plopped down on the couch, raising his legs over the coffee table. The sun was starting to sink, and he threw a glance outside the big window, overlooking the skyscrapers of Tokyo and the hazy horizon where, according to his real estate agent, on a clear day, it was possible to see Mt. Fuji. He had yet to see that glorious sight and suspected it was either a myth or a fancy exaggeration meant to raise the worth of the apartment and bring in the deep pocketed customers. Haruka didn't really care. It wasn't the reason he leased the place. If it were up to him, he'd still live in his old and traditional Japanese house in Iwatobi. Sometimes he still wondered if he could go back and live there, if it weren't for the fact his parents had moved back in, following his father's retirement. Either way, Mt. Fuji or not, one of the selling points of the mansion was the communal pool on the roof.

Haruka thought about going to the pool for a little swim and sunset viewing, when a muffled, familiar tune reached his ears. His mobile, which was left in his jacket, on the hanger at the entrance, was ringing. Which meant Makoto was calling. Haruka put his legs down and stood up, then walked a bit faster than usual to answer the phone in time.

He didn't. By the time he fished the dated mobile phone out of the pocket, it had stopped ringing.

He was about to return the call, when he noticed he had a few calls from an unidentified number. As he was wondering who might be searching for him knowing he would not answer anonymous calls, his phone buzzed with another incoming call, which he clicked to accept by mistake.

Since he had already accepted the call, he brought the phone to his ear.

"Nanase,"he said briskly, and waited for the caller to identify himself.

"I know your true identity," a masked voice said quietly on the other side of the line.

"…huh?" Haruka asked in confusion and clicked his tongue. From all the calls he could've wasted a moment of his precious free time on, it had to be a prank call?

"I know you're gay," the gritty voice continued. "And I know who your boyfriend is."

Haruka puckered his lips in annoyance. "Who is it?" he asked. "Is it Nagisa? It's not April's fools yet, I'm going to kill you," he grumbled.

"I have evidence," the person continued, ignoring Haruka's half-hearted threat. "And unless you pay me 2 billion yen in 48 hours, I will send the evidence to the press."

"…what?"

"This is not a joke, nor a prank call. I will contact you again in 3 hours to hear your decision."

"Now wait a mo—" Haruka's protest were cut off when the call was.

Haruka stared at the phone for a bit. It had got to be a joke. There were only a few people who had known about his relationship, and they would never make a joke like that. He also trusted them never to spill his secret to anyone. There has got to be an explanation, but for the moment, Haruka needed to get rid of that extremely uneasy feeling in his stomach.

He clicked on his phone and waited.

"Makoto!" he said, almost too happy to hear the cheerful voice on the other side of the line instead of the creepy computerized voice.

"…I'm fine. …really." A heartbeat. "No, something happened. …It's a bit early, but can you come home now?"

* * *

He was on pins and needles, waiting for Makoto to return, and nothing seemed to calm him down, not even a soak in the bath. He thought about going to the pool, when he heard the door unlocked and Makoto's voice announced he was home.

"Makoto!" Haruka hurried to reach him. "Are you all right?" He grabbed Makoto's arms with both hands. "You didn't receive any weird phone call?"

"Huh?" Makoto furrowed his brow, looking at Haruka with concern. "Only from Haru."

Haruka sighed and withdrew his hands. He folded them over his chest and rubbed his arms. "Sorry for making you come home early," he said quietly.

"It's okay, I've finished most of my work," Makoto said and took off his suit's jacket, before starting to undo his tie. "What is it, Haru? You look pale. Not feeling well?" he asked.

Haruka shuffled his feet and looked away. "I think… I think I'm being blackmailed."

Makoto stared at him for a moment, confused. "Eh?"

"I received a threatening call," Haruka explained. "And they want me to pay them 2 billion yen in two days."

"Eh?!" Makoto widened his eyes, then more calmly, asked, "Wait, what do they have on you, exactly?"

"If it was just me, I wouldn't care!" Haruka raised his voice. "But he knows, about _you_," he stressed. "I don't care about coming out, but I don't want you to get in the crossfire."

Makoto sighed. "Any chance it's someone we know pulling your leg?"

Haruka shook his head. "Who would make such a bad joke?"

Makoto rubbed his chin in thought. "That's true."

"He said he will call again—" Haruka checked his watch. "In two and a half hours now."

"We should contact the police," Makoto said. "Maybe they could trace this guy."

Haruka shook his head. "He was using a voice mixer, I'm sure he's taken precautions," he sighed. "Maybe I should just give him the money."

"What? You can't do that." Makoto stopped undressing. "He will continue to blackmail you for more." He clutched his hand into a fist. "It makes me so angry people like that exist!"

With a sigh, Haruka walked back to the living room, followed by Makoto. His partner had the right of it. He couldn't give in to such threats, or it would keep coming back to haunt him. There was only one solution.

"I'll come out publicly and foil his plans. His 'evidence' would be worth shit without the scoop," Haruka said. "Don't worry, I won't out you."

Makoto exhaled and grabbed Haruka's arms. "No, wait, Haru. Please think it through; your career could be on the line."

"The country is way more accepting now than ten years ago," Haruka insisted. "There are even attempts to legalize same sex marriage, right?"

"Yes, but there are also a lot of old fashioned people who will not view this kindly, especially in the sports world—" He paused to breathe for a moment. "With only a year until the next Olympic games it's too risky, Haru. You could be ostracized. They would choose to elect younger swimmers over you."

Haruka glared at him. "Are you saying I'm old?"

"That's not my point…"

"I understand your point," Haruka sighed. "But there's got to be a way. I can't let this guy win."

"First let's see if it's not really someone we know," Makoto said. "It could be Nagisa."

Haruka threw a 'really?' glance at him and Makoto sighed. "Okay, probably not."

The time passed slowly as Haruka waited for the phone call. He placed his mobile phone on the table and stared at it in anxiety. Makoto had already taken a shower, a short one. He didn't want to leave Haruka's side for too long and Haruka was so dispirited he didn't even want to join him in the shower.

"Haru." Haruka raised his head when Makoto called him and accepted the hot mug of green tea.

"Thanks."

Makoto sat down next to him on the couch and reached out to rub his shoulder gently. Haruka leaned into the touch, catching Makoto's hand between his shoulder and ear.

"Come here," the taller man said and pulled Haruka closer, fluttering his lips over Haruka's forehead and nose, before planting a soft kiss on his mouth.

"Makoto…" Haruka said quietly and his voice quivered. For the first time since the ordeal started, he felt like crying. The tears stung his eyes.

"Whatever happens, I'll be by your side, Haruka," Makoto whispered softly and kissed Haruka's eyes, as though trying to make the tears disappear.

Their moment was cut short by the loud vibration of the mobile phone on the table. Haruka threw a glance at the screen. "That's him."

Makoto lowered his hand to Haruka's back, rubbing him gently and encouraging him to pick up.

"Yes," Haruka answered the phone, regaining his composure.

As he feared, the gritting computerized voice replied. "Have you decided?"

Haruka bit his lips. "You don't leave me much choice, do you?"

"No."

"Is it going to be just the 2 billion or are you going to bug me again later for more?" Haruka asked coldly.

"I'd settle for the 2 billion for now," the voice answered.

"Fine. How do I get the money to you?"

Makoto tensed and mouthed, 'Haru!' - Haruka just shrugged him off with a hand gesture.

The perpetrator gave him the details, to which Haruka agreed in a low, resigned voice and ended the call.

"What are you thinking?!" Makoto finally raised his voice. "You can't do that!"

"Don't worry about it," Haruka said quietly and clicked on his phone, putting it back on his ear.

"Hey, Sato-san, it's Nanase. I need a favor," he told the person who had picked up.

* * *

Sato Juunichi, 35, was Haruka's sports agent ever since he'd started pursuing a career in competitive swimming, upon graduating from high-school. Sato was a young agent back then, and Haruka was his first promising catch. They have become some sort of friends beyond their professional relationship.

It took Sato less than a day to set up the news conference Haruka had requested, even though he had tried to dissuade him, even attempting to enlist Makoto.

Haruka held his breath when he entered the room and was blinded by the flashes of the cameras. He started to wonder if he were really doing the right thing, but a look behind his shoulder – at Makoto, who had taken a sick leave to accompany him, but stayed out of sight at the sidelines – had given him all the reasons and strength he needed to go through with his plan.

When the room fell quiet and all eyes, cameras and microphones waited to hear what he had to say, there was no turning back. He cleared his throat.

"First I, I would like to thank Sato-san, and… and my coach, Nakamura-san, for putting this together so fast at my request…" he looked down. His hands, rested in his lap, were shaking. "Even though they advised me not to do it…" He took a breath. "But I, it's something I needed to do."

He fell silent and looked at his trembling hands. What was it? Even though he had practiced what he was going to say since yesterday. He wasn't supposed to care about this. And then, out of the blue, as though he was hit by a lightning bolt, the path had suddenly been shown to him, and he gasped. His hands stopped shaking and he leaned in, closer to the number of microphones that were set before him on the table.

"I've been blackmailed," he said. "And the police is on the case, but I thought I would say this, just so it won't be repeated." He straightened up. "I'm gay—"

The room was still quiet, in perfect Japanese order, no one was going to let out a word before he would finish his statement - the only sound was the cameras flashing.

"—and I'm in a relationship with a man. He's a private person and I rather not expose his name…" Practiced words, practiced words. His chest felt lighter now. "I hope you would respect my privacy, and focus instead on my professional accomplishments thus far," he said and without looking at anywhere in particular, he added, "Also, I have decided to retire from competitive swimming."

"Wait, Nanase-kun…" his coach whispered at his side. "What are you doing, this is not what we talked about!"

"That is all," Haruka told the microphones, and finished his statement.

"I'm sorry, Nanase-senshuu won't be answering any questions right now," the host announced when the room went louder again with people talking all at once.

Haruka got up, bowed deeply to the audience and excused himself, leaving the room, and his team of PR to deal with the pressing questions in his stead.

"What have you done, Haruka?" Makoto asked him when he passed by him in the hallway. His voice was quiet, disappointed.

Haruka didn't look at him. "It just felt right."

He left Makoto behind and walked to the dressing room to have the make-up removed. This life in the spotlight, it was too tiresome for him. Thinking back, he should've never chosen this path. He should've chosen to stay in Iwatobi. It was Rin's fault, egging him on to strive for more and see how far he could go. It was Nagisa and Rei's fault, for looking up to him with admiration in their eyes. And it was also Makoto's fault, for loving him best when he was swimming competitively.

* * *

The car ride back home was silent, except for his mobile phone which didn't stop buzzing with incoming calls inside his pocket. He ignored it and only looked at it when they had arrived at their apartment.

He had no less than 316 missed calls and incoming mails.

"What the…" He had never seen such number before; he didn't even think it was possible. So the news had already hit the outside world. He wrinkled his eyebrows and checked the call log to see who had been trying to reach him.

On top of the list were his agent, his coaches, his mother, Makoto's mother, Makoto's sister, a few sports reporters he was friendly with, as well as a few other numbers he associated with the press.

He didn't feel like talking to anyone right now. There was only one person he could handle dealing with right now. He turned around.

Makoto was also looking at his own vibrating mobile, but it looked as though he wasn't going to answer. He put it back in his pocket and raised his eyes to Haruka, giving him a warm smile.

"Go take a bath, Haru," he said. "We can talk later."

Haruka nodded and walked to the bathroom. After soaping and washing himself in the shower, he soaked in the bath. Although it felt good and refreshing, he only stayed in the hot water for ten minutes. He needed to get his peace of mind from something else, or rather, someone.

"Ha… Haru…" Makoto mumbled in surprise when the shorter man hugged him from behind. He turned around and ruffled Haruka's damp hair, smiling.

"What is it?" Haruka could tell the difference between Makoto's smiles, and this smile was a smile that tried to hide something in order not to worry him.

"Ah, it's nothing."

"What is it?" Haruka repeated.

"Well, the internet is already buzzing with rumors about you," Makoto said, uncomfortably. "And, uh, your mystery boyfriend."

"Shit…" Haruka let go of him. "Did your name get leaked?"

"No… it's worse," Makoto said and showed Haruka his tablet.

Haruka took it from his hands and looked, his eyes widening. The caption read "Could this be the lover of Tokyo gold medalist Nanase?" Attached to some candid photos of him with Rin, in the coffee shop where they sat together the day before, as well as pictures of them hugging out in the street, even one photo from an angle that made it seem like they were kissing.

He blushed. "This is quite misleading…"

"But this is going to cause trouble for Rin now," Makoto said quietly.

"I'll give another statement," Haruka said quickly. "He doesn't even live in Japan."

"Haru."

"He could make his own statement too…"

"Haru." Makoto put his finger under Haruka's chin, lifting it gently to meet his eyes. "Stop please? You're overworked. Things are going to be a little busy in the coming days, but I'm sure it will eventually die down and you'll be able to live peacefully again."

"I have no idea what to do…" Haruka admitted, feeling a sharp pain in his chest. In a moment of weird, yet lucid epiphany, he had cast away his career and his future, only a year before the games he's been training so hard for in the past three years. The original plan was to retire after the games next year.

"Makoto," he said quietly and took Makoto's hands into his. "Listen, I…"

His partner smiled again, more genuinely this time. "Yeah, I think you should go back to Iwatobi, Haru."

"You're not going to go back with me." Haruka's words were both a question and a statement, he already knew the answer.

"I can't quit work before the year ends," Makoto said quietly. "You can stay with your parents until April."

Haruka nodded. It would've been easier if Makoto could drop everything and go back with him - go back to their quiet, boring, comfortable life in the small boring seaside town of Iwatobi.

He had always hated winter. He couldn't wait for spring.

_tbc_... maybe.


	2. Chapter 2

So I couldn't help it and decided to continue the story... feedback would be appreciated. Since unlike my other fics, I still don't have direction except some notion of what I want to do, I'd like to know what ppl think. Anyway, hope you enjoy... thanks for reading.

Note: This chapter is mainly a flashback. I hope it won't be too confusing.

* * *

**Foam of the Sea**  
**Chapter 2**

If life had taught him anything, it was how unexpected it could be, and how even when everything seemed so desperate and he thought he had hit rock bottom only to fall even lower, somehow there was always going to be a hand he could rely on to pull him back onto his feet.

"Makoto," Haruka said quietly and walked over to his partner. He took the tie from between Makoto's fingers and started tying it for him. "I've never noticed you were working so many hours before."

A light chuckle escaped the taller man's lips. "Are you feeling lonely now that you're a housewife?"

"Yeah," Haruka replied so quickly and seriously to Makoto's halfhearted joke, that it took a moment to sink in. Then Makoto grabbed him in a tight hug. "I'm sorry. I wish I could just take a vacation and spend more time with you before you leave."

"Makoto, you're choking me," Haruka stated quietly, but didn't make any attempt to free himself from the hug. "It's just a big change…" he continued when Makoto relaxed his hold. "From training hard for hours every day to doing nothing but answering phone calls…"

Makoto chuckled. "It's only been two days, but it feels much longer, doesn't it?"

"It does…" Haruka sighed and added, "I expected more backlash." He rested his head against Makoto's sturdy chest, wrapping his arms around him.

What he hadn't expected was the amount of support he had received following his coming out news conference. There was only little support in Japan outside the LGBT community, but that support had come from influential parties which made its importance tenfold. Nevertheless, the support from overseas was overwhelming.

In fact, the PR team he hired continued to receive interview requests from a large number of media outlets. Haruka had asked to let him think about it, but he truly wasn't ready to talk to anyone, let alone the media. He could barely talk to his parents - it reminded him another cruel winter, 10 years before, when they had found out his relationship with Makoto wasn't exactly the innocent best friends relationship they had thought it to be when they left Iwatobi and asked Makoto and his parents to take care of their son.

* * *

"Makoto?" Haruka woke up in a daze when he heard noise. Makoto was sleeping next to him under the kotatsu in the living room, still naked after their lovemaking. The fluffy blanket of the heating table covered him to his chest. He moaned softly in his sleep and Haruka couldn't help himself and stroked his hair. Their relationship had always been a source of comfort for Haru, but it had become even more comfortable and much easier without the weight of the past, which they'd managed to shed in the summer, after swimming with Rin again.

Haruka's throat was dry and he picked up his boxer briefs, putting only that on, even though it was going to be too freezing to leave the source of heat and go the short distance to the kitchen to get a drink. He thought about cuddling next to Makoto and forgetting about the glass of water, when the door slid open, startling him.

"Mom..." He was surprised to see his mother standing at the doorway.

"Haruka, why aren't you dressed? You'll catch a..." He could see her eyes moving behind him to where Makoto was sleeping and then the moment the realization both of them were naked had hit her.

His heart was racing. "What are you doing here?" he asked. He wasn't expecting his parents to arrive until the next week, for the New Year holiday.

"This is my house - what are you two doing?" she asked after regaining her composure.

Haruka got up, and awkwardly finished pulling his underwear up.

"Haruka! Answer me!" She raised her voice.

"You'll wake Makoto up, let's talk over there," he said quietly and walked towards her, to the hallway.

As he thought, it was freezing away from the kotatsu and Makoto.

"Explain yourself," she demanded, and looked at his bare torso. "On second thought, get dressed first," she muttered. "You've really grown since the last time I've seen you."

Haruka went to his room to get dressed rather than going back to the living room to put on the clothes he discarded earlier. If he could help it, he didn't want to get Makoto involved right that moment. If he could clean the mess before Makoto even knew anything, it would be for the best. Even though Makoto was hurt the last time Haru had kept secrets from him...

On the way back to the room where his mother was waiting, Haruka tried to think how he could explain the situation to her.

"Did you do _that_?" she asked upon his return. It clearly had been on her mind the entire time.

"...Yeah," he replied shortly, there was no point denying or beating around the bush.

"Haruka, what are you thinking? You're only 17. You're not supposed to do these kinds of things..." She left the rest of the sentence in the air - _and you're both boys._

He shrugged. "Most 17 year olds don't live alone either."

She frowned. "And whose fault is that? …Now I understand why you were so stubborn. Were you two like this when we left?"

He looked down at his feet. "Yeah..."

"Your father is coming home soon, what are we going to do?"

Haruka looked away. "You can tell him whatever you want."

"I think you should not see that boy again," she said quietly.

"What?" Haruka perked his head, returning his eyes to his mother. He couldn't believe the words he just heard.

"This can't be good for you. You will not see him again," she rephrased.

"That is Makoto we're talking about, you know what kind of guy he is."

"Yes, and thinking about it, you were always too close and dependent on each other. I should've never agreed to let you stay on your own. I will talk to your father and you'll go back with us."

Haruka looked at her as though she was speaking a foreign language.

"You can't do that... I won't go."

"You will do as you are told. Just wait till your father gets here." She threw a glance at the door. "Also better make sure he doesn't see Makoto-kun like that. Send him home, it's getting late."

Haruka nodded. He didn't want to get into any arguments right that moment, it was better to deal with both his parents at once.

He went back to the living room and kneeled before the sleeping boy. Touching Makoto's shoulder, he hesitated for a brief moment, before shaking him gently. "Makoto... Makoto..."

"Mmm.. Haru..?" Makoto mumbled as he woke up. "What is it?"

"Sorry, you won't be able to stay here tonight," Haruka told him and looked away. "My parents are visiting."

"Eh?!" Makoto jolted awake, the kotatsu blanket fell to his lap, barely hiding his nakedness. "Tonight?!"

"Actually they've already arrived..."

Makoto jumped to catch his clothes and dressed up in haste. "Should I greet them?" he asked.

"Maybe not right now," Haruka answered, avoiding Makoto's eyes.

At least Makoto knew when not to press him. "Then I'll see you tomorrow." He nodded once finished zipping up and left the room.

Haruka went back to help his mother unpack, annoyed the holiday he was spending with Makoto was cut short.

"I was thinking," his mother said, and Haruka hoped she had calmed down and found reason, before she continued, "until we make the arrangements for your school transfer, I'll stay here to keep an eye on you."

"I will not leave," Haruka said quietly. How could he explain to his mother that things have just finally fallen into place for him, and he's never been happier with his life? He still couldn't completely put it in words even to convey it to Makoto, although he tried.

When his father arrived after drinking at the local bar with his friends, they had acted as though nothing had happened - his mother preferred to leave it for the next day.

"Oh, Nanase-san! It's been a while!" Makoto's mother was surprised to see her old neighbor at the door, early in the morning. "How are you?" she smiled.

Haruka's mother kept her greeting words to the necessary minimum, then asked to have a talk.

"I don't know how to say this," she said uncomfortably. "I thought I should let you know... about your son."

Mrs. Tachibana stopped smiling. "Is this about the boys'... _relations_?" she asked, carefully choosing neutral words.

"You know about it?" Nanase looked stunned at the other woman.

"It was rather obvious, so I asked Makoto about it." Tachibana shrugged. "They make each other happy, I don't see what's wrong."

"What's wrong? For a start, they're both boys! What kind of future could they possibly have?" And then she blushed, not making eye contact. "And they've been... doing things..."

"Well, at least we don't have to worry about either one of them getting pregnant?" Tachibana offered in consolation. "We've told Makoto to be careful. As for the future, it's too early to tell how things will turn out. It could be just a phase, who knows?"

"I can't believe you're okay with this!"

"They would do it anyway; I rather support my son than make him feel bad about himself and alone... And I trust both him and Haruka-kun. They're good boys."

"Just to make this clear, I've already told Haruka I don't want him to see Makoto-kun again. Please make sure your son doesn't approach him," Nanase said bluntly.

Tachibana sighed. "I think you're making a mistake, Nanase-san, but I can't tell you how to raise your son. Very well, I will forbid Makoto from seeing Haruka-kun."

"And so I'm not allowed to talk to you anymore, Haru," Makoto finished retelling their mothers' early morning exchange to Haruka, his face dark and forlorn.

They were on the roof - in winter it was the perfect location for that kind of private conversation. No one was crazy enough to have their lunch break exposed to the elements in near freezing temperature.

Haruka didn't have appetite to finish the bentou his mother prepared for him. She put a nice quantity of mackerel, the only part of it he forced himself to eat, but he felt like he would throw up if he had another bite. He raised his head to Makoto who looked both worried and frozen solid. The wind _was_ quite chilly on the roof. They should probably go back to class before they both caught a cold. But first he had to relay the reason he asked Makoto to come to the roof in the first place.

"So I'm gonna quit the club."

"Eh?" Makoto's expression added surprise to the mix.

"Since we can't see each other..." Haru silenced, the rest of the sentence he hoped Makoto understood – '_for the time being'._

"Then _I_ will quit the club," Makoto said. "Haru should continue swimming." He furrowed his brow. "No, Haru _must_ continue swimming…"

_'It's meaningless without you.' _Makoto's words inevitably floated in Haru's mind and he rested his head back against the wall, closing his eyes.

He had never imagined it was possible to feel worse than how he had felt after the time in first year of middle school, when he thought he had made Rin give up on his life dream. In the summer, when he finally had a chance to really talk to Rin, and realized that everything was a big misunderstanding, he felt incredibly relieved. Nearly 5 years' worth weight of guilt was lifted off his shoulders. However, there were also other feelings surfacing - like anger and frustration, mostly at himself, for all the time he had lost. He chose to ignore that and focus on how happy and whole he felt - to swim with everyone, to be with Makoto.

But this time there was no misunderstanding. It was his parents passing judgment on his life from the outside. He won't be able to be with Makoto again, when that was all the life he knew. He won't be able to be there for Makoto, who was there for him in good times and in bad, who had always reached out for him. Makoto saved him. He could've been far worse if it weren't for Makoto being his source of light in his darkest hour. But his parents didn't know any of this. And there was nothing he could do.

"No, there is something I could do," he said quietly to himself, then looked up again. "Makoto, you can't quit the club. You need to swim my share too."

"Haru," Makoto said and rested his hand on Haruka's knee. "You're not thinking of running away, are you?"

Haruka bit his lips. "My parents want me to move in with them after they find a school for me."

Makoto's shoulders sagged. "I'm so sorry, Haru... It's all my fault."

"It's not your fault."

"I should be the one going away... Haru belongs here, swimming with Rin and everyone."

"Don't be stupid, you have your family here, you can't leave."

He was envious of Makoto's accepting parents. They had always treated him as part of the family, and that hasn't changed even after they've found out the two of them were more than just best friends.

"I was thinking of going to college in Tokyo anyway," Makoto said. "I'll talk to your parents. I could probably still find a high school to transfer to for senior year."

Haruka blinked. "You were thinking of leaving for Tokyo?"

"Well... It's not really important right now, is it?" Makoto avoided answering the question.

Haruka didn't push him, Makoto was right. There were more pressing issues right now and there was still senior year before having to worry about university. But he wasn't going to let Makoto make the sacrifice. If one of them had to go…

"Please don't run away, Haru," Makoto's quiet voice pleaded before he could finish processing his thoughts. "I would be worried sick and would have to go and find you."

It was all Haru could do to keep his calm. "But what can I do?! How am I supposed to make them understand?!" he yelled in an outburst of emotions. Tears were stinging his eyes. "I can't even talk to them, they won't listen."

"Haru." Makoto grabbed his shoulders, holding him in place. "Look at me."

Reluctantly, Haruka lifted his eyes to meet Makoto's blazing green orbs. "They will listen if you really talk to them. Because when Haru is talking, there's not a single person who wouldn't listen."

Despite the calming effect Makoto had on his heart, Haruka still had no idea how to reach his parents and make them understand. As far as his father was concerned, if Haruka apologized for his behavior and agreed not to repeat it again, he was willing to forgive him. The alternative was probably being disowned. Since Haruka was still a minor his parents could not remove him from the family registry without providing a new family registry for him to join, but they could still cut ties and throw him to the street if they wanted to.

"I'm not going to apologize, I've done nothing wrong," Haruka said bluntly, but then thought better of it. "No, I mean, I'm sorry if my actions have offended you, but that's all."

"Haruka, you're still young, at your age I've made a lot of passionate decisions myself," his father said once the two of them sat down to talk without the presence of his mother. "But one day you will look back at your life and I don't want you to have any regrets. This... _relationship_... with Makoto-kun, it has no future. It will only cause both of you trouble."

Haruka folded his lips and looked down. If he could only say it, somehow convey how he felt to his father. Somehow he had to find the words that would make his father understand. His heart was pounding so hard against his chest, it was almost painful. He grabbed his chest, clutching the shirt in shaky fingers.

"I love Makoto," he said in half a whisper, but loud enough for his father to hear. "I know how it may seem on the outside, but for me..." His voice quivered and he wetted his lips, anxious. "It's natural, it's the only way I can see any future at all. Dad, it's only him, it has to be him." He didn't notice tears were falling from his eyes until his father solemnly handed him a tissue box.

* * *

Haruka shuddered. The dam he had built around the old memories he wished to forget was breeched and he felt like he was going to drown. His shoulders sagged.

"Are you okay?" Makoto pushed Haruka back to have a look at his face. "Haru! Are you okay?!" His voice was frantic.

Haruka touched his wet face, realizing he was crying. How pathetic was that, at his age?

"I... Just remembered something..." he mumbled. He didn't want to worry Makoto any further, even though a part of him always craved Makoto's undivided attention.

Makoto pulled at his tie, loosening it.

"What are you doing?" Haruka grabbed his hand, forcing him to stop.

"I'm going to call in sick again."

"You can't. You've already done that the other day. Just go, I'll be fine."

Makoto wiped a tear that rolled down Haruka's cheek with his thumb. "Are you sure?"

"Yes... Just go already before I change my mind," Haruka muttered, turning his head away.

Makoto's phone started ringing with an incoming call and he gave Haru a surprised look before pulling it out of his pocket.

"It's Rin..." he mumbled after looking at the screen. "I guess he finally got the news?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Note:** This chapter is censored. The edited part can be found on AO3 (same user name).  
Anyway, on to the chapter. Hope you like it...

**Foam of the Sea**  
**Chapter 3**

* * *

Makoto let the phone ring and waited for a reaction from Haruka.  
The dark-haired man frowned. Frankly, he didn't want to talk to Rin either right that moment, but the conversation was probably unavoidable. Rin's busy flight schedule had at least given Haruka a bit of time before he had to deal with that issue, but it looked like that time was already up.

Makoto didn't need more than a glance at Haruka's face to know what Haru decided. He touched the panel to accept the call and Rin's angry face filled the small screen.

"Makoto! What's going on?!" he asked, yelling. "I've been receiving some embarrassing mails from people!"

"Sorry, Rin... things have gotten a little out of control after you left..." Makoto smiled wryly and glanced up at Haruka, who hurried to wipe his face with his sleeve, hoping Rin would not notice he had cried.

"Put Haru on," Rin asked more calmly.

"Ah..." Makoto hesitated.

Haruka moved in, shoving his face into the screen and touched Makoto's arm. "Rin, Makoto has to go to work. I'm calling you on my phone right now."

"Yeah right..." Rin huffed.

"I'm making sure he does," Makoto promised and smiled at Rin. "See you."

As promised, he escorted Haruka to the phone.

"You don't have to watch, I'm calling him," Haruka grumbled. "This is stupid."

"Sorry, I promised."

"You're going to be late," Haruka muttered as he made the call.

Makoto smiled. "Well, if they fire me I'll be able to spend more time with Haru," he said and leaned in to kiss Haruka.

It was only meant to be a quick peck, but the shorter man pulled him in with his free hand, deepening the kiss, lips smacking together, tongues hungrily reaching to meet.

"Oi, you two. You're more sickening than usual!" Rin's voice came through loudly, forcing them to pull apart.

Haruka lowered his eyes to his phone. "Shut up, I haven't had sex in nearly a week."

"Ha... Haru!" Makoto blushed and turned around. "Going now!"

"Have a good day," Haruka said and returned his attention to Rin.

"How are things on your side?"

"Hectic! I just got home, didn't even get to adjust to the jet lag… And what do I hear?!"

"Ah, I'm sorry I got you involved in this, it seems someone saw us together and jumped to conclusions..."

"Who cares about that… More importantly, Haru, you're not seriously retiring are you?!" He frowned.

Haruka remained silent. He knew Rin was looking forward to their next match in the summer. Haruka couldn't deny he enjoyed the long-running competition between them. He even kept scores just like Rin, and so far they were still tied, but Rin had one victory he coveted most of all - to repay Haruka for stealing the gold in the last Olympics.

"Haru?"

"I'm sorry," Haruka said softly. "It looks like we won't be able to swim together again."

"You can't be serious. Are you really going to let something like this stop you? Gay or whatever, no one even cares about this shit here. Making a big deal out of it is so 10 years ago."

"Outside Japan..." Haruka mumbled. "But that's not it, Rin. When I said it out loud, I had just realized that I wanted to quit. I've already reached the top; it's the best place to leave." Before Rin could make more fuss, he added, "I'm going back home... I just want to live quietly like before."

Rin huffed. "You're delusional if you think things could go back to the way they were."

"Maybe not right away, but eventually they would have to," Haru replied. "I'm sorry, Rin."

Rin tried to persuade Haruka to change his mind a bit longer, the entire time dancing around what they both knew - the deciding victory between them, the one that would break the years long tie between them - it had to be on the Olympic stage.

The more Rin talked about it, the more Haruka understood one thing about himself. He loved competing with Rin; he enjoyed the thrill, excitement and extra adrenalin it gave him, but he had no true desire to settle the score between them. Even after all those years, it wasn't about winning or losing for him. Maybe something was wrong with him. Maybe he was just unreasonably stubborn as Rin continued to mutter at him over the video call, but he couldn't change how he felt.

"Ah, damn, I give up..." Rin finally huffed. "Only for now though. I don't have time for this."

"Sorry," Haruka apologized again, not sure what else to say.

Rin run a hand through his hair and Haruka could tell he was frustrated, and also tired. What was the time over there? He opened his mouth to ask, but Rin already moved on.

"So, about the other thing... Is Makoto okay?" he asked quietly, scratching his cheek. "I know he never wanted to be in the spotlight... Or come out publicly."

Haruka sighed. "For now it seems like his name wasn't leaked... The police still have no lead on the guy that tried to blackmail me though."

"Shit, that's gotta be hard... Did the bastard try to make contact again?"

"Not so far, but I have no idea what kind of evidence he has..." Haruka looked away. "Could you maybe... I know it's a lot to ask..." he found himself stammering, "Pretend that it's true? About us."

Rin frowned. "I don't like this," he said, clenching his teeth. "I'll make no comment until the police catch that guy, how's that?" he offered.

"Thanks, I appreciate it." Haruka smiled lightly.

"In return, promise me you'll rethink about retiring."

Haruka sighed. He figured it would come to that. However, it's only been a couple of days and although he felt complete with his decision, maybe later he would feel differently about it.

"I need the time off right now," he said quietly, "but I'll give it more thought later."

It looked like his answer had satisfied Rin - his face wasn't as strained as it was before. They finished the call with more friendly greetings and Haruka returned to the reality of staying alone in the quiet apartment with nothing to do but wait for the daily phone calls to arrive.

* * *

After finishing breakfast, Haruka decided to go to the roof. The communal space included a small gym , the indoor swimming pool and a sunroof some of the residents, particularly the women, used for sunbathing. Haruka had rarely seen any of the other residents. A lot of them were high profile individuals from different industries so privacy was greatly valued in the mansion and both he and Makoto had benefitted from that luxury.

There was only one resident using the facilities at that hour. Unfortunately for Haruka it was a neighbor he was acquainted with, mostly due to Makoto being too nice and chatty even with complete strangers. Yuusuke Tamura was a young idol in his early 20s, Haruka couldn't remember the name of the pop group he was a member of, but he saw him in a couple of movies. He wasn't that impressed, yet Makoto quickly became friends with the younger man. Tamura knew they were living together, but Makoto had only explained they were childhood friends from the countryside sharing an apartment in the big city.

"Nanase-san, good morning!" Tamura beamed at him. "Mako-chan already left for work?"

It didn't help Haruka to like Tamura better when every time he talked to Makoto he sounded like he was flirting with him.

Haruka made a face. "Don't add -chan to his name," he grumbled.

Tamura laughed. "It's ok, it's ok; he allows me."

Haruka took off his robe and put it down on the lounge chair. Without another word he fixed the goggles on his eyes and jumped into the pool, swimming as far away as he could from the nuisance.

The pool was rather small, so he couldn't get that far away. When he had finally come up for air, Tamura was still there, smiling. His smiles were annoying in a whole different way than Makoto's.

"Wow, that's amazing, Nanase-san! You can hold your breath underwater for so long! And you swim so fast," he admired.

"Obviously," Haruka muttered. "I'm a profe-" he stopped mid-sentence. He wasn't a professional swimmer anymore, so what was he? Could he still call himself a swimmer?

Tamura hadn't noticed Haruka's inner conflict. "You're like a dolphin or something."

"Not really..." Haruka mumbled and dived again.

He hoped the conversation was going to end with that, but Tamura was still standing near the pool, drying his sweat with the towel he had around his neck and waited for Haruka to surface again.

"I told Mako-chan I'll get him tickets for the premiere of my new movie on Sunday," he said when Haruka threw a glance at his direction and Haru clenched his teeth in annoyance, which went complete unnoticed by his neighbor. "He said he has a girl in mind to take with him."

"Really," Haruka replied in disinterest and floated, trying to enjoy the feel of the water caressing his body.

"I didn't realize he has a girlfriend," Tamura continued.

Haruka opened his eyes, gazing at the cloudy sky through the tinted glass ceiling. Did he imagine the tone of disappointment in the actor's voice?

"I was sure he was, you know, swinging for our team."

"Our team?" Haruka straightened up inside the water and moved his goggles up to have a better look at the actor.

"Well, whenever we work out together, I felt there's some kind of vibe between us, a connection maybe?" The younger man looked flustered and scratched his head.

Haruka frowned. "You're gay?"

"Not really, but I like guys too." The idol shrugged. "I broke up with my girlfriend recently so I'm definitely in the market."

It slowly became clear to Haruka it was possible the young idol had no idea about Haruka's coming out party. Ordinary people and athletes aside, people in showbiz lived in a world of their own and unrelated news traveled slowly even in that era. It didn't really make a difference though; Haruka had no intention to let Tamura delude himself.

"Anyway, Makoto is not available," he hurried to volunteer information. The last thing he needed was that guy making passes at Makoto. His boyfriend had a long history of breaking hearts due to misunderstanding.

"That's a shame. Then, what about you?"

"Not interested!" Haruka huffed and quickly disappeared under the water.

* * *

When Makoto finally returned home from work, Haruka was still on the phone, sprawled out on the couch. Makoto loosened his tie and bent over the couch's back, planting a kiss on Haruka's head and gave him a kind smile.

"One moment," Haruka said and muted the phone. "Welcome back," he told Makoto. "I'll be right with you."

"It's okay, take care of your important business." Makoto smiled again and disappeared from Haruka's sight.

With an annoyed sigh, Haruka returned his attention to the phone call. It's only been two days, but he's been repeating the same things over and over, it got tedious fast. When the next call came through, Haruka let it ring and put the phone down on the table.

He started taking off his clothes. There weren't too many layers. The apartment was heated nicely and there was even heating under the wooden floor, a tremendous change from the old Japanese apartment they used to share before. But even with one layer of clothes and extra years in age, Haruka still had a habit of leaving a trail behind him.

Makoto was still in the shower when Haruka walked into the bathroom. He was startled when Haru opened the glass door and hugged him from behind. "Geez, Haru! What are you doing?" He threw a glance over his shoulder.

"Taking care of my important business," Haru replied and reached down, giving Makoto's cock a squeeze.

* * *

They soaked in the bath, Makoto resting comfortably in Haruka's arms. Haruka picked up Makoto's hand, stretching his fingers against Makoto's.

"I finally called my mom today," he said quietly.

"What did she say?" Makoto asked with a crooked smile. "I told you so?"

Haru chuckled. "No... She was strangely caring, asked how you were too."

"Did you tell her you're coming home?" Makoto raised his head, throwing a glance at Haru.

"Yeah. She said it's okay, but the neighbors might be nosy."

"I will tell my mom to leave you alone," Makoto joked.

"That reminds me..." Haruka let go of Makoto's hand and draped his arm around his chest again. "Is your sister coming over this weekend or something?"

"Eh? Ah, I forgot about that... I should tell her it's canceled." Makoto looked up again. "How do you know?"

Haruka wrinkled his nose. "Met Tamura at the pool this morning."

"Sorry, we talked about his new movie and he said he could get me tickets for the premiere... I wanted to surprise Ran."

"He thinks she's your girlfriend and I didn't deny," Haruka said quickly.

"Ehh.. Why?"

Haruka didn't want to talk about 'the vibe' or 'connection' the actor felt. Makoto was a master at confusing people - he was too nice to everyone and too clueless to realize when he was overstepping boundaries. It hasn't changed since they were kids and by now Haru had given up on the hope that it would ever change.

Instead, he huffed. "You should stay away from him. I think he likes you."

"Ehh?" Makoto tilted his head, glancing up at Haruka. "Of course he doesn't. He has a girlfriend, doesn't he?"

"They broke up," Haru said as he caressed Makoto's chest. "And he outright told me he's into men too."

"Ehhh..." Makoto raised himself up and turned around to kiss Haru briefly. "Don't worry! My heart belongs only to Haru." He smiled lightly.

Haru huffed and twisted his lips. _'It's not your heart I'm worried about...'_ he thought with a sigh. Beyond showing his discontent, he couldn't really restrict Makoto from seeing someone the other considered a friend.

"If he tries anything, I'll make it clear," Makoto reassured him and brought Haruka's hand to his mouth, kissing it lightly.

* * *

Even though Makoto still had another workday left, they made love three times that night. It felt like they were teenagers again, except the little time they had left together hovered above them like a dark and persistent rain cloud.

Haruka sat up in the bed and stared at his sleeping lover. Resisting the urge to touch his hair and smooth some unyielding locks, he decided to let Makoto have his sleeping quota in peace and got up, choosing to breathe some fresh air at the balcony instead.

There were no stars visible in the sky, but below, the metropolitan of Tokyo glittered the sky's share too. It was a magnificent sight, albeit chilly. Haruka rested his arms on the railing and leaned in, staring into nothing in particular, the twinkling lights becoming a blur.

His mother had asked him if he _had_ to return to Iwatobi and why couldn't he stay in Tokyo. He had no concrete answer. Of course he would've rather stay with Makoto. If there was any place that truly felt like home, it was Makoto's arms. But Makoto was gone most of the day and he was left to deal with the hole which was once occupied by his swimming career. The pressure and the loss of anonymity, once a comforting advantage in the big city, were too much for him to handle. He was never a people's person to begin with - he needed peace of mind and quiet time alone to be able to function. Even with the side effect of fame that came with his success, he was able to maintain the balance and a semblance of sanity. The last three days changed his life beyond recognition and it felt like he had aged years.

He rested his chin on his hands, eyes still fixated on the city that was as awake as he was even at that hour. The return to his family home in Iwatobi was not going to be simple. Haruka knew that much. Even before coming out, every move or decision he made was scrutinized in the small community that viewed him as a hero. With what eyes were they going to look at him now?

Haruka heard the door sliding open and threw a glance over his shoulder.

"Haru?" Makoto stood behind him. "What are you doing? You'll catch a cold." He covered Haruka's back with his large body, engulfing him in his arms. Indeed, it was warmer like that. So warm it pinched Haruka's heart to think he'd spend the rest of the winter away from that warmth. He rested his head back, fitting perfectly in the crook of Makoto's neck.

"Let's go back to bed," he whispered. "I'm sorry for making you get up."

"Nuh-uh," Makoto hummed and kissed Haruka's head. "Worrying about Haru gives me some kind of essence," he admitted with a chuckle.


End file.
